Gas burner jet flash tube and connector



y 1952 P. s. HARPER 2,597,480

GAS BURNER JET FLASH-TUBE AND CONNECTOR Filed June 1, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 20, 1952 P. s. HARPER GAS BURNER JET,FLASH-TUBE AND CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1, 1946 .4672901 .*a was.

May 20, 1952 HARPER 2,597,480

GAS BURNER JET FLASH-TUBE AND CONNECTOR Filed June 1, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 J hu e/71 2507 Phil/27a 6'. Bar ,6?"

Patented May 20, 1952 GAS BURNER JET FLASH TUBE AND V CONNECTOR Philip S. Harper, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Harper- Wyman Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 1, 1946, Serial No. 673,849

This invention relates to gas burners and it is particularly concerned with lighting equipment for such burners.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is the provision of new and improved lighting apparatus for gas burners comprising lighter jet structure extending away from the main portion of the burner and a flash tube detachably sup-ported on said extending structure in gas conducting relation to the jet.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved burner lighting apparatus which includes a detachable connector adapted to locate a flash tube in gas conducting relation to a lighter jet and also in igniting relation to the burner.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved lighting apparatus for gas burners including a lighter jet having structure which extends away from the main portion of the burner and a connector adapted to engage the end of the flash tube and formed detachably to engage said extending structure of the jet to support the tube in gas conducting relation to the jet. Q

It is also an object of the invention to provide a connector for use with flash tubes of uniform length and adapted to connect the tubes with the lighter jets of gas burners so located that the jets may be at various distances from the lighter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a connector adapted to be hooked onto a lighter jet which projects from a gas burnerior holding a flash tube in gas feeding relation to the jet, said connector being so constructed that it may be readily taken off the jet and easily hooked on again, to facilitate removal of the burner from thestove for cleaning.

A further object of the invention is to provide a connector adapted to extend from a flash tube to a lighter jet of a gas burner and formed to guide the flash back upwardly from the jet 'to the burner ports. i

An additional object of the invention is to provide a lighter jet having a portion extending horizontally from an external surface of the burner and providing an upwardly extending abutment or shoulder and a connector formed-at one end to rest removably back of said shoulder and to be held thereby against endwise displacemnt, the other end of the connector being formed to 'hold' the end of a 'fla'sh tube "in gas conducting relation to the lighterjet with ca- -pacity for endwis'e' adjustment of said tube and connecto af T s, V'- l l. U31;

6 Claims. (Cl. 158115) Fig. 6 is an elevation of the connector 'Fig. 8 is a and More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a burner lighting device which includes a lighter jet having a portion which extends horizontally from the main portion of the burner, a flash tube and a connector telescopically engaged with the end of said tube adjacent the lighter jet and having a portion which rests removably on the extending portion of said jet to locate the tube in gas conducting relation thereto, said connector being upwardly open adjacent the jet and including side walls positioned to confine a flame and guide it upwardly in lighting relation to the burner.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a connector for operatively connecting a flash tube to a gas burner jet and including a portion at one end adapted to have telescopic engagement with the flash tube and a portion at the opposite end adapted to be supported by the jet.

The invention is also concerned with the provision of a lighter jet for attachment to a gas burner and having a restraining abutment or shoulder which is spaced from a surface of the burner when the jet is attached thereto.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing a plurality of flash tubes and lighter jets, together with some of the burners with which they are associated, constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention;

V Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken, substantially as indicated, along the broken line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view-taken as indicated at line 3- 3 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the new and improved connector of this invention; r

I v Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the connector;

i'n'g the outer end thereof; Fig.7 is an elevation of the connector showiflg the inner end, which telescopes withthe flash tube;

bottom plan view of the connector;

Fig. 9 is an elevation. showing the outer end of a'jet tube.

fIhe structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrates lighter equipment for the gas burners of a domestic gas stove and shows portions of two showally disposed flash tube I4, by which gas is conducted from the lighter jet to a pilot light I6 and through which the gas flame then flashes back to ignite the gas flowing from the burner I0. As shown, the pilot burner I8 supports an upwardly open cup or shell 20 having notches 2I detachably receiving the annular grooves 22, adjacent the inner ends of the flash tube I4 and locating the inner open ends of the tubes around the central portion of the cup 20 and around the flame I6 of the pilot burner. The notches are formed by the upper marginal portions 23 of the cup, which are bent inwardly to overlap the inner ends of tubes l4 and thus hold them against accidental dislodgment. The cup 20 may have a central hub or bushing 24 in which the tube I8 is secured and by means of which the cup is connected to any suitable supporting structure, such as the bracket 26 indicated in broken outline in Fig. 2.

In addition to the main body or base portion III, each burner includes a perforated cap 28, of which only a fragment is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and gas is fed to the burner chamber 29 by a suitable conduit, not shown.

Each of the burners is provided with a jet I2, constituting one of the features of the present invention, and including a stem portion 30 which is fitted tightly into an opening in the side wall of the base I so that a larger head portion 32 extends away from said side wall of the burner detachably to support the means including the flash tube I4 for igniting the jet and main burner. The head provides an abutment or shoulder 34 spaced from the outer surface of the side wall of the burner I0 better to hold the gas conducting means in place.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the connectors 36 which detachably support the flash tubes I4 upon the jets in such manner that the tubes may be readily attached to and detached from the jets and to compensate for variations in the distance of the jets from the pilot burner. The connector 36 includes a tubular portion 33 telescopically engaged with the outer end of the flash tube 14 and preferably split at 40 and slightly sprung to receive the tube I4 and hold it frictionally at any position of longitudinal adjustment. This makes it possible to use flash tubes I4 of uniform length in various situations in which the burners are located at different distances from the pilot light I6, thereby to vary the overall length of the flash tubes to compensate for such differences by slidably adjusting the connectors 36 on the tubes.

The connectors are each supported upon an associated jet by a vertically extending outer end wall portion 42, which is joined to the tubular portion 38 by side walls 44 and bottom wall portions 46, 46 as best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. These portions of the connectors may be made integral with the tubular parts 38 by suitably cutting away the upper portions of the tube stock at the outer ends and deforming the remainder to produce the shape illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8. This operation may include cutting out a v-shaped section in each side wall and joining the edges of the resulting openings along oblique lines as indicated at 48 in Fig. 5.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the connector is constructed and arranged so as to assist the flash back to the jet to jump up to the ports in the burner cap. This is accomplished by the side walls 44 and a longitudinal air slot 50 cut in the bottom wall below the jet I2 and extending upwardly in the end wall to terminate in the lower edge 52 of the wall as seen in Fig. 6. The remainder of the end wall includes sloping portions 54, 54 which connect the bottom wall portions 46, 46 with the vertically disposed end wall portion 42 and which include areas 56, 56 which are slightly inclined to the plane of the part 42, and serve to merge the side wall areas 44 with the portion 42 and with the remainder of the end wall without unduly straining the material.

The connector is held against longitudinal movement by the end wall 42 which is received behind shoulder 34 located a short distance from the outer surface of the burner I0. The connector 36 thus suspends the outer end of the flash tube I4 from the jet and definitely locates it in gas conducting relation to the burner. As seen in Fig. 9, the sides of the head 32 are cut away to form flat, and preferably parallel, faces 58 which are spaced apart by slightly less than the width of the slot 50 so that the vertical portions 60, 60 of the side walls of the slot will engage faces 58, 58 when the connector is positioned on the jet as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, thus holding the connector against rotation about its axis. As thus correctly positioned, the connector is upwardly open providing a clear path for the flame which flashes back through the tube I4 from the pilot light I6; and the side walls 44 of the connector, supplemented by the upwardly sloping end wall portions 54 and 56, serve to guide the flame upwardly toward the gas ports in the burner cap 26 from which the gas to be ignited issues. The slot 50 in the bottom of the connector permits air to be drawn upwardly to feed the flame and the upward draft further insures that the flame will be directed properly toward the burner cap 28. Incidentally, the outer end of the head 32 of the jet I2 is formed with a vertically extending slot 62 so that the gas issuing from the central bore 64 of the jet tends to flow upwardly toward the burner cap 28.

It will be seen that the provision of the connector 36 on the end of each flash tube not only permits varying the effective overall length of the tube to fit a particular installation, but also makes it very easy to remove the flash tubes from the stove to facilitate cleaning around the burners whenever this is desirable. It is only necessary to lift the connector 36 from the projecting portion of the jet I2 and to swing the tube I4 through a sufficient angle to free it from the inwardly curved upper end of the slot or notch 2| of the cup 26; and replacement of the tube is equally simple, involving first the entry of its groove 22 in the slot 2| of the cup 20 and then merely the lodgment of the end wall 42 on the projecting jet I2 between shoulder 34 and the surface of the burner base I0.

In operation, the gas first flows from burner chamber, to which it is admitted in conventional manner, and the jet tube I2 into the flash tube I4 until it is ignited by the flame of the pilot light I6, whereupon the flame travels back through the tube I4 and escapes upwardly between the side walls 44 of the connector to ignite gas flowing from the perforations of the burner cap 28.

While there is shown and described herein certain structure embodying the invention and illustrative thereof, it will be understood that the invention is'not limited thereto or thereby but includes all changes and modifications in its various features which may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Gas burner lighting apparatus including a lighter jet fixedly secured to the burner and comprising structure extending outwardly from the main portion of the burner at the level of the burner and having an upwardly extending abutment at its top side close to but spaced from the burner and spaced apart parallel vertically disposed sides, and flash tube defining structure extending outwardly from the burner at the level of the jet and including a transversely extending end portion having a thickness approximately equal to the space between the abutment and burner, and opposed surfaces disposed in vertical planes spaced apart approximately the same distance as the sides of the jet, said transversely extending portion being detachably seated upon the upper side of the jet in the space between the abutment and burner and said surfaces engaging the sides of said jet, whereby said tube defining structure is held against axial movement by said abutment and is non-rotatably positioned by the sides of the jet, and said structure being removable by lifting it so as to remove said transverse portion from behind said abutment.

2. In a lighting device for a gas burner, a lighter jet fixedly secured to a burner and including a jet and a head portion providing a vertical abutment spaced a short distance from the burner and having flat vertically disposed side faces, and flash tube structure detachably seated upon said jet between the abutment and burner and restrained against axial movement by said abutment and against rotation by said side faces of the jet, said structure including a tubular end portion, a transverse end wall the bottom of which is above the bottom of said tubular end portion and having a thickness approximating the spacing between the burner and abutment, and side and bottom wall structures connecting said end wall and tubular end por tion, said bottom wall including opposed portions spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the jet side faces, and said bottom wall also having a portion at the level of the bottom of said tubular end portion and an inclined portion rising from that level to the bottom of said end wall, said inclined portion being in the region of the jet side faces.

3. Gas lighting apparatus for securement to supporting structure having a vertically extending portion, including a lighter jet fixedly secured to said supporting structure, said jet including a portion extending substantially horizontally outwardly from said structure and an abutment defining portion extending laterally from said first portion, said abutment being spaced a short distance from said supporting structure, said jet having also flat opposed spaced apart side Walls, and vertically removable flash tube structure detachably seated upon said jet between said abutment and supporting structure and restrained against axial movement lengthwise of said lot by said abutment and against rotation by said side Walls of said jet, said flash tube structure including a tubular portion at one end and a transverse end Wall at the other end, the bottom of said end wall seating upon the jet being above the bottom of said tubular portion and said end wall having a thickness approximating the spacing between said abutment and supporting structure, whereby said abutment restrains said flash tube structure against movement longitudinally of said jet, said flash tube structure including also fiat opposed sides spaced apart a distance approximating the spacing between the opposed side walls of the jet, said sides engaging the jet side walls when the said end wall is seated upon the jet thereby to prevent rotation of said flash tube structure relative to the jet.

4. A flash tube connector including a tubular portion at one end and a transversely extending connector support defining end wall at the opposite end, the bottom of said end wall being above the bottom wall of the tubular portion, and the connector being slotted inwardly from beneath said opposite end wall substantially to said tubular portion to provide a passage transversely of the connector extending from said transversely extending end wall substantially to said tubular portion.

5. A flash tube connector adapted to seat upon a jet extending radially from a burner, comprising a longitudinally split tubular sleeve portion, a substantially vertical transverse end wall spaced from said sleeve portion, a bottom wall extending between said end wall and sleeve portion, said bottom wall extending upwardly and outwardly to meet said end wall and comprising spaced portions extending between said sleeve portion and end wall and also inwardly toward each other, thereby to define a slot extending from the sleeve portion to said end Wall to enable the transverse end wall to be seated upon the jet with the connector in axial alignment with the jet, and side walls connected to said sleeve portion, bottom wall defining portions and end wall.

6. A flash tube connector including a tubular portion at one end and a transversely extending and vertically disposed connector support defining end wall portion at the opposite end, said end wall portion having an axial length corresponding to the thickness of the material from which the connector is made and the bottom of said end Wall portion being above the bottom wall of the tubular portion, and wall structure connecting said end Wall portion to said tubular portion, said wall structure including opposed parallel and vertically disposed connector positioning surfaces and also providing a vertically disposed air passage extending from said transversely extending end wall portion substantially to said tubular portion.

PHILIP S. HARPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,776,741 Schwab Sept. 23, 1930 1,983,863 Mantz Dec. 11, 1934 2,011,090 Steffen Aug. 13, 1935 2,072,034 Geurink et al Feb. 23, 1937 2,080,141 Leins May 11, 1937 2,091,530 Slavin et al Aug. 31, 1937 2,091,550 Kindl et al Aug. 31, 1937 2,093,152 Mantz Sept. 14, 1937 2,115,370 Marvin et a1. Apr. 26, 1938 2,213,812 Harper Sept. 3, 1940 2,264,905 Matthews et al Dec. 2, 1941 2,291,914 Mueller Aug. 4, 1942 2,381,152 Dupuis Aug. 7, 1945 2,511,205 Harper June 13, 1950 

